Pulse – Country Music News

Josh Turner's debut Christmas album, King Size Manger, is available on vinyl for the first time beginning on September 16th. In addition, his first-ever Christmas special of the same name, which is part of the Gaither Gospel Series, will be available on DVD on October 21st and will air on UPtv on Friday, November 18th at 7 pm ET.

Josh said, "I was really excited that we were able to release King Size Manger on vinyl this year. I've collected vinyl records pretty much my entire life and there is just something extra special about listening to Christmas music on a record player."

Josh's The King Size Manger Tour kicks off on Friday, December 2nd in Macon, GA.

King Size Manger was originally released last year, featuring classics and four originals, three of which were written or co-written by Josh.

Cole Swindell tops the Billboard country singles chart this week with "She Had Me At Heads Carolina." The song ascended the chart in just 12 weeks, making it his now fastest-rising single to date. Cole co-wrote the song with Thomas Rhett, among others, as well as the original writers on Jo Dee Messina's hit "Heads Carolina, Tails California," Mark D. Sanders and Tim Nichols.

Cole said, "The reaction to this song has blown me away. From the minute I released it you all raised your hand in support of it, and it means the world to me. Getting to stand in front of you night after night hearing you sing it back is the best feeling in the world! So thankful for my team and everyone that makes these moments possible."

This is Cole's third consecutive Number One single from his latest album, Stereotype, and his career 12th career Number One.

Cole launches his headlining Back Down To The Bar Tour with Ashley Cooke and Dylan Marlowe on September 23rd in Helotes, TX.

Mitchell Tenpenny charts his latest Number One hit this week on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart with "Truth About You." It's a history-making feat as the song's chart-topping success is the shortest span between Number One songs in the modern chart era with just three weeks since his last Number One, according to a release. On August 22nd, Mitchell and Chris Young's collaboration, "At The End Of A Bar," which they both co-wrote, reached the Number One spot.

On Sunday (September 11th), Mitchell attended the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers in Minneapolis where he hung out with the likes of rapper T-Pain. He sported a Vikings jersey and posted several pictures to Instagram writing, "I've got the number 1 song on country radio & I'm partying with @tpain today! Life is f**king good"

Mitchell will release his new album, This Is The Heavy, on Friday (September 16th). He co-wrote every song on the 20-track album and co-produced the project with Jordan M. Schmidt.

Mitchell will headline his This Is The Heavy Tour beginning in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 26th at The Union Event Center.

Alabama member Teddy Gentry was arrested on Monday (September 12th) and charged with "misdemeanor second-degree unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia." The arrest happened in Cherokee County, Alabama following a traffic stop.

According to reports, the Cherokee County Jail log states that Gentry was booked at 10:38 am Monday morning and released at 11:06 am with no bond amount.

A publicist for the band told the AP that "Gentry had no immediate comment."

Jason Aldean has shared his perspective of being on stage at the Route 91 Harvest Festival when the Las Vegas shootings happened in a new documentary called 11 Minutes, set to premiere on Paramount+ on September 27th. E! reports that the four-part docuseries also features "first-person narratives from concertgoers, Las Vegas police officers, hospital trauma teams, first responders and FBI agents." It also includes police bodycam footage and cell phone videos from that terrifying evening of Oct. 1, 2017.

Via a release, Jason said, "When I turned around, my bass player was just looking at me like a deer in the headlights, and my security guy was on stage at that point, telling me to get down, waving me off the stage."

While Jason and his band and crew remained unharmed, 58 people lost their lives and more than 800 were injured.

A single shooter was responsible for the carnage. He was firing from a room at the Mandalay Bay hotel located across the street from the Festival.

Chris Stapleton, Dwight Yoakam, and Tyler Childers will be among the performers at the Kentucky Rising benefit set for next month to help with flood relieft and recovery after Eastern Kentucky was devastated earlier this summer. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 11th at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Tickets go on sale on Friday (September 16th) via KentuckyRising.com.

According to a press release, 100% of net proceeds from the concert will benefit the "Kentucky Rising Fund" which also supports the victims, their families and first responders.

Stapleton was spotted shopping for supplies in Knott County, Kentucky in the days after the flooding. He delivered those supplies to people in need in addition to helping with cleanup efforts.

At least 39 people died in the July floods across Kentucky.

Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton will be next year's headliners at Stagecoach Music Festival. The three-day event in Indio, CA will be held April 28-30, 2023. Other acts on the bill include Jon Pardi, Old Dominion, Gabby Barrett, Brooks & Dunn and Lainey Wilson, to name just a few. Tickets go on sale Friday (September 16th) beginning at 10 a.m. PT.

Luke told E! News, "When we get to Stagecoach, just the size of the crowd and the vibe of the crowd is so enormous. It's just one of the highlights of the year . . . Seeing the palm trees, seeing the mountains in the background, seeing 30 or 40,000 country fans out there, it's pretty special stuff."

Luke kicks off his annual Farm Tour on Thursday (September 15th) in Monroeville, IN.

Kane Brown released his third studio album, Different Man, as well as his first duet with his wife, Katelyn, on Friday (September 9th). The song, called "Thank God," is featured on the project, along with 16 other tracks, including Kane's latest chart-topping Country hit, "Like I Love Country Music."

Kane tells us that his duet with Katelyn was years in the making. "So me and Kate have been trying to release a song for like five years now, and we kept getting songs coming in, we thought that you know, each of them was the song for us but it never felt right, so my buddy, Josh, that's signed to my publishing deal, he sent me a song called 'Thank God' and I listened to it and I fell in love with it, and then kept listened to it and kept listening to it. I was like, 'this could be a duet,' so I asked Kate and Kate fell in love with the song and now it's one of my favorite songs."

Kane will appear on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on both Tuesday (September 13th) and Wednesday (September 14th) nights. His previously announced performance on Good Morning America will be rescheduled for a later date.

Kane will kick off his global Drunk or Dreaming Tour on September 17th, which will include his first touring dates to Australia and New Zealand as well as returning to Canada, Europe and the US. The US leg of the tour will kick off in Grand Rapids, MI on March 16, 2023 and hit 23 US cities along the way.

Dolly Parton and Kelly Clarkson have teamed on for a new duet version of "9 to 5" in conjunction with the release of the Still Working 9 to 5 documentary, set to premiere on September 16th. The song has been reimagined into what is described as "a melancholic yet inspirational anthem."

Dolly said, "Nobody sings like Kelly Clarkson. She makes any song come alive. I love her voice on 9 to 5 and I am so proud I got to sing with her on it . . . "

Kelly said, "I am so honored that Dolly asked me to reimagine this iconic song, ‘9 to 5,' with her! She is so talented, an inspiration to all women, and one of the sweetest people you will ever meet! I hope y'all like what we did, but even if you don't, remember I got to sing a duet with the magical Dolly Parton and now have bragging rights til the end of time!"

Written and recorded by Dolly, the original "9 to 5" debuted in 1980 in tandem with the film of the same name starring Dolly, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The song went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Original Song and four Grammy Award nominations – winning two of the latter for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

John Michael Montgomery was among those injured over the weekend when his tour bus veered off the interstate, struck an embankment and overturned, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report. John Michael issued a statement saying, "Despite some cuts and broken ribs, I am doing well."

John Michael, the brother of Montgomery Gentry's Eddie Montgomery, was en route to his concert in North Carolina on Friday (September 9th) when the accident happened in Tennessee near the Kentucky state line.

John Michael said, "I will take some time over the next couple of weeks to heal and be back on the road soon. I am grateful to the medics and highway patrol for their quick response to this difficult situation."

John Michael has more than 30 singles on the Billboard country charts, including his best-known hits "I Love the Way You Love Me," "Life's a Dance," and "I Swear."

Dustin Lynch has released a new ballad called "Wood On The Fire." The song is now available through all streaming platforms and digital retailers.

Dustin said, "This song is all about that type of relationship that, even when it's fizzled down to smoke, you just can't get enough of it. It's a relatable message and we had a good time writing this one."

He is nearing Top 15 with his latest single, "Party Mode," which is featured on Dustin's fifth studio album, Blue In The Sky.

His extended Party Mode Tour rolls on through October.

Tyler Hubbard has released the music video for the song "Everybody Needs A Bar." The track is featured on his six-song project, Dancin' In the Country, which was recently released.

The clip was filmed in Nashville at the house of a local art director, who in years past worked with Tyler on previous videos and wanted to help with this video. The homeowner built the bar himself, spending several days turning his garage into a bar. "Everybody Needs A Bar" features actors and talent from the Nashville and Atlanta areas and many of them had actually been on set with Tyler earlier in the day filming another video called "Baby Gets Her Lovin'," which is due out next month. Tyler had so much fun working with the group that he invited them all to stay for the next video shoot, which happened to be "Everybody Needs A Bar."

He said, "Making the video for ‘Everybody Needs A Bar' was an amazing experience, Everybody should have a place - their own version of a bar - to go where they feel a sense of welcoming and belonging. I think we were able to create that vibe in this video. And having all these actors with me for two videos made the process incredibly fun and I think in its own way told the story of the song."

Tyler recently kicked off his first tour as a solo artist on Keith Urban's The Speed of Now Tour.

Shania Twain, along with Live Nation Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment, recently presented Shania Kids Can with a final donation of $150,000 as she wrapped up her Shania Twain "Let's Go!" The Las Vegas Residency over the weekend at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Since opening in December of 2019, $1 of every ticket purchased has been donated to Shania Kids Can, which provides a helping hand to kids who are facing poverty and crises in their young lives.

Randy Houser has released a song called "Rub A Little Dirt On It" from his upcoming album, Note To Self, set for release on November 11th. Randy continues climbing the country charts with the album's title track.

Niko Moon has released a new song and video featuring his wife and frequent co-writer, Anna Moon, called "I Can't Wait To Love You." The song speaks to their latest personal chapter of parenthood, as they are expecting their first child, a daughter.

Luke Combs will embark on a world tour next year. He announced the news on social media yesterday (Thursday, September 8th) writing, "3 continents. 16 countries. 35 concerts. This is my 2023 World Tour!" The trek launches on March 25th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and concludes in London, England at The O2 Arena on October 19th, stopping at 16 stadiums along the way.

Luke will be joined by Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, Flatland Cavalry and Brent Cobb for the North American dates, while Cody Johnson and Lane Pittman will be the special guests on the Australian and New Zealand dates.

General tickets to the North American dates go on sale on Friday, September 16th at 10 a.m. local time.

Earlier this week, Luke was nominated for Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Album Of The Year for Growin' Up at the CMA Awards, taking place on November 9th in Nashville.

Blake Shelton has teamed up with retailer Lands' End for a fall and holiday collection called Blake Shelton x Lands' End. The collection will offer apparel for every member of the family – including the four-legged ones -- along with items for the home.

Blake said, "When you know what works, you stick with it. Flannel shirt, jeans, a great jacket…when clothes are done right, it's just easy. This is what I wear. It's really fashion for folks who want to look good and feel comfortable, no matter where they are or what they're doing. My collection with Lands' End is about making clothes you'll know are keepers the second you put them on. When you know, you know."

From September 1, 2022 through September 1, 2023, Lands' End will donate a portion of each purchase from the Blake Shelton x Lands' End collection to Habitat for Humanity, a global housing organization that partners with people in communities in the U.S. and around the world to build or improve a place they can call home.

To shop the Blake Shelton x Lands' End collection, visit landsend.com/blakeshelton or a Lands' End retail store location.

Blake will be in Nashville tomorrow (Saturday, September 10th) to perform two shows at the Grand Ole Opry.

Jason Aldean resumed his Rock N' Roll Cowboy Tour last night (Thursday, September 8th) in Gilford, NH with one of his musical heroes, Tracy Lawrence, opening for him. Tracy and Travis Tritt were added to the tour after original opener Gabby Barrett had to bow out early due to her pregnancy.

Jason tells us that he is thrilled to have these icons joining him. "I'm so excited! I mean, I don't think it's any secret that Tracy Lawrence has been one of my heroes forever and Travis, too. I mean, my graduation present from high school was tickets to go see Tracy Lawrence, so (laughs), here I am out on tour and these guys are opening for me. It's pretty wild but I am super stoked to have them out, excited they're gonna be out there. I'll probably turn into a teenager again (and) be out there side stage checking it out and singing all the songs. It's gonna be fun so I'm glad we were able to get them."

The Rock N' Roll Cowboy Tour continues with a second show tonight (Friday, September 9th) in Gilford, followed by Bangor, ME on Saturday (September 10th).

Travis plays his first show with Jason on September 15th in Syracuse, NY.

Luke Bryan's 2023 return of his annual Crash My Playa concert vacation is set for January 19 - 22 at the Moon Palace Cancun. He will headline two of the four nights with fellow American Idol judge Lionel Richie, who will be making his debut appearance at the event. Chris Stapleton and Cole Swindell will return to the beach this year as headliners, and Dustin Lynch will once again host and perform a special pool party. Additional performers include Ashley McBryde, Brian Kelley, Carly Pearce, Chase Rice, Dylan Scott and DJ Rock, with more performers to be announced later this fall.

Luke said, "Oh my gosh this line up! Some dear friends and new friends but regardless, what an amazing treat for the fans. Everybody rest up and get ready for these four beachside hangs."

A limited number of all-inclusive Crash My Playa 2023 event packages will be available to the public on Tuesday, September 13th at 1 p.m. ET at crashmyplaya.com, which is also the place to go for more information about the event.

The full lineup of The Judds: The Final Tour has been released, and as previously reported, it will feature a host of special guests including Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill on select dates beginning on September 30th in Grand Rapids, MI with Brandi Carlile. Martina McBride will join Wynonna for the entire tour.

Wynonna said, "It's hard to believe that in just 3 weeks we'll be stepping onstage for our first show in Grand Rapids. I continue to find myself both grateful and humbled by the unwavering support from my fellow artists, music community, and of course, the fans. I am looking so forward to celebrating The Judds music one final time. It will be a bittersweet experience, and one that I will never forget."

Martina said, "It's so amazing to be included in honoring The Judds legacy as part of their final tour. I'm beyond excited for what's sure to be an emotional, fun, and hit packed series of shows and to be joined by some of Country Music's biggest names."

The 11-date arena tour will conclude in Lexington, KY at the Rupp Arena on October 29th. Tickets for The Judds: The Final Tour can be found at TheJudds.com.

Lainey Wilson: "6 NOMINATIONS!?!? I'm speechless. While I try to find the words just know that I'm blown away and so so honored and proud to be nominated. Thank you to the entire country music community!"

Ashley McBryde: "There is a whole lot of love, respect and admiration between the artists in these categories. We do a good job of challenging one another and raising the bar, all while cheering each other on. We all work hard and do our best to perform our asses off. Thank you for recognizing our work, for listening and for loving Country music."

Carly Pearce: "Be still my heart & God bless country music THANK YOU @cma !!!!!"

Miranda Lambert: "I'm so thankful to be part of the country music family. Congrats to all the nominees. Gonna be a big ol party this year at the #CMAawards!"

Luke Combs: "Still surreal when I receive nominations from the @cma. Something I dreamed of for a long time. It's a true honor to be a part of country music. Thank you to the association and the fans for making this ol' boy's day!"

HARDY: "Thank you @cma"

Midland: "Honored to represent all the people that make things like this possible, and of course y'all, the fans, that keep this dream alive! Looking forward to taking down Old Dominion once and for all!"

Morgan Wallen: "Appreciate the noms @CMA"

Cody Johnson: "Ever since I was a little kid, I've watched my hero's accept CMA awards; to be nominated for four is an absolute honor! I stand for a unique brand of authentic country music, and to see it being recognized on such a huge platform makes all the years of hard work worth it!"

Cole Swindell: "So happy to wake up to 2 @cma nominations this morning!! Thank you to everyone in my world to help make this possible. Thank you to the fans for supporting Never Say Never"

Zac Brown Band: "It's always an honor to be nominated. Thank you, @cma!"

Kelsea Ballerini: "my first ever single of the year nomination. this song is the gift that keeps giving."

Kenny Chesney: "Excited to be nominated for single of the year with @kelseaballerini. Thank you, Kelsea, for allowing me to be a part of the wonderful journey of #halfofmyhometown. Love you."

Lady A: "Thankful. Appreciative. Ecstatic. Blessed. The list could go on and on about how we're feeling right now but one thing is for certain, we are eternally grateful and humbled receiving this news this morning. Thank you @cma!"

Old Dominion: "Decades from now we'll look back at how the uncertainty of 2020 challenged and shaped us individually as well as globally. Being able to take that uncertainty and channel it musically is something we will forever be proud of. We walked into the studio in Asheville with no plan and no songs. We embraced the unknown, and walked out 3 weeks later with Time Tequila & Therapy. What a gift it is to have a small part of our growth as a band and as humans recorded forever. Thank you for seeing us. Thank you for this album of the year nomination, and thank you yet again for the group of the year nomination."

Brothers Osborne: "beyond excited to be nominated! thank you @cma"

LoCash: "Thanks @cma for the Vocal Duo of the Year nomination! We're feeling so honored and grateful. Celebrating today!"

Maddie & Tae: "It's always an honor to be nominated with such talented art creators Thank you @CMA for another year of celebrating us, our art, and all of our friends and theirs!"

Dierks Bentley: "Honored to share this #cmaawards nomination with my friends and cowriters @hardy and @breland #beersonme"

Blake Shelton has got "big" plans for 2023! He will hit the road on his Back to the Honky Tonk Tour with special guests Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean beginning on February 16th in Lincoln, NE. Tickets to the 18-date trek go on sale Friday, September 16th and Friday, September 23rd for select dates.

Blake announced the tour on social media yesterday (Wednesday, September 7th) writing, "We're throwing one hell of a party in 2023.. the #BackToTheHonkyTonk Tour with @carlypearce and @thejacksondean is coming to a city near you!!! It's going to be big..."

Via a release, Blake said, "There's nothing like getting out on the road and taking music to the fans. I feel just as excited to step on stage and perform as I did the very first time. I know my tour mates Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean feel the same, and I can't wait for y'all to get to know them better. Break out the hats and boots, ‘cause we're going back to the honky tonk!"

He will perform his latest single, "No Body," tonight (Thursday, September 8th) on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Blake will then head to Nashville for two performances at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (September 10th).

Luke Combs has some pretty famous friends, but when it comes to his favorites to hang out with, there are a couple at the top of the list -- pop star Ed Sheeran and his former duet partner, Eric Church. Luke tells us: "I mean, Sheeran's hard to beat. He's a really good hang. He's a super regular guy and loves to drink good drink and eat good food and tell good stories and there's a lot of guys that check that box. I mean, I've had a ton of fun hanging out with Eric as well. We've had some great times doing that."

Ed and Luke plan to write at some point but just haven't had the opportunity.

Yesterday (Wednesday, September 7th), Luke was nominated for Entertainer, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for Growin' Up at this year's CMA Awards. The show will air live on ABC on November 9th.

Jason Aldean turned to social media earlier this week to confirm that Logan Crosby, the runner-up on ABC's new reality competition show, Claim To Fame, is, in fact, his cousin. He posted a throwback picture of the two together as well as a more current one on Instagram writing, "Well I'm glad I can finally tell y'all to go stream @claimtofameabc on Hulu and watch my lil Cuzzin @reallogancrosby do his thing. Proud of ya man. Way to represent the family."

ABC describes Claim To Fame as "12 celebrity relatives . . . live together under one roof, concealing their identity and lineage in the quest for their own fame and fortune. They will compete in challenges, form alliances and play DNA detective in hopes of avoiding elimination and winning the coveted $100,000 prize."

Kane Brown is publicly commenting for the first time about Morgan Wallen's 2021 controversy after being caught on camera using the N-word. He told The New York Times, "This is the first time I've ever even talked about this, but I personally know Morgan. I texted him that day. I told him he shouldn't have said it, but also knowing Morgan, I knew that he didn't mean it in the way that the world thought that he meant it. I think if it was in a different context, I probably would have been fighting."

Morgan was a co-writer on a song called "Rockstars" which Kane recorded for the deluxe edition of his self-titled debut album, originally released in 2016.

Kane's new album, Different Man, will be released on Friday (September 9th).

Justin Moore charts his career 11th Number One hit this week with "With A Woman You Love." He shared the big news on social media yesterday (Tuesday, September 6th) writing, "Thank you country radio, the fans, along with my team for our 11th #1 song! I'm damn proud to work alongside all of you. It's something I don't take for granted. Cheers!"

Justin co-wrote "With A Woman You Love" based on his own experience of getting married at a young age and the relationship he has with his wife, Kate. He tells us: "I had the title idea for a while, but it kinda got me thinking about all the conversations that you have, whether you be in high school or whether you're the first one to get married, as I was in my group of friends. We all give each other crap, and at the time I was gettin' most of the crap. ‘Why are you gettin' married,' and doing all this and that? ‘Man, before you know it, you're gonna be missing football games to go to the mall and you're gonna have a dog sleeping in your bed' and all this kind of stuff. And they were right. I do those things now, but it certainly is worthwhile when you have a partner like I do in my wife Kate."

"With A Woman You Love" is the first taste of new music from Justin's upcoming studio album.